Surveys suggest many optical dispensers are seeking better conditions, pay and recognition. Now parts of the industry are starting to report that experienced staff are difficult to find. Insight takes a look at the issue.
James Gibbins admits his home office is a bit of a mess.
The accumulated detritus is, in part, the result of his passion for the optical industry and possibly a bit of inattention after many days away from home.
The career optical dispenser and co-founder of the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD) is surrounded by containers stacked full of frames and other optical odds and ends.
“The house is full of optical,” he says. “The garage is full of tubs and tubs of frames, and under the house there’s more tubs.”
Along with Chedy Kalach, the other founder of ACOD, few others have done more to advance the cause, promotion and training of optical dispensing in Australia than Gibbins.
But despite that pair’s hard work in Australia and New Zealand, and Gibbins’ well-known and infectious enthusiasm for dispensing and the optical sector in general, challenges remain.
ACOD trains hundreds of dispensers each year, putting many through its now well-established Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing; Optical Dispensers Australia (ODA) works just as hard to introduce even more to the industry through its own Introduction to Optics training, various promotions, and advocacy since forming four years ago.
But both organisations are echoing concerns from some parts of the industry: there may be a tick over 7000 optical dispensers in Australia – according to Australian Taxation Office (ATO) data – but some employers are finding it increasingly difficult to secure and retain highly trained, experienced professionals.
And both believe that could be problematic. While there are many small and large employers who support their staff through a Cert IV, some continue to underestimate the value of an experienced or trained dispenser and also the loss of opportunity to their businesses.
The reasons, say Gibbins and ODA CEO April Petrusma, are many: the lack of a clear training and career pathway; low, “unfair” pay that doesn’t reflect the complexity of the role; workplace culture in some practices that can cause burnout; and ongoing structural issues that haven’t kept up with the progression of the job title.
But Petrusma and Gibbins believe it probably boils down to one primary issue: the lack of value and understanding associated with dispensing and dispensers.
“A good, experienced dispenser brings far more to a practice than many people realise,” says Petrusma.
“Their expertise directly influences patient retention, revenue generation, and enhances the overall reputation and credibility of the practice.”
Often they are the first and last point of contact for patients – “their communication, problem-solving and dispensing knowledge sets the tone for the entire patient journey”.
Ignoring that can come at a cost to a practice, says Gibbins.
“A great dispenser will drive up sales, sell premium lenses, minimise mistakes and remakes, and help put the reputation of the practice through the roof.”
Since establishing ACOD in 2017, Gibbins and Kalach have both worked hard to raise the training and reputations of their students, and hopefully their prospects in the industry.
After taking a bit of time to build up their own profiles, not even COVID-19 could dent their momentum, particularly in Australia, as governments encouraged people and businesses into training with subsidies and support.
Last year, the course produced 278 graduates, a mix of young and old, dispensing newbies and veterans.
Despite those record numbers, Gibbins believes he and Kalach are barely scratching the surface of those who could, and possibly should, take up the training.
That education would allow what Gibbins estimates to be about 10,000 optical assistants in Australia to become dispensers, with a formal qualification and a great deal of technical knowledge to support their practices.
“We have thousands of optical assistants who’ve been employed for six months, 12 months or 10 years out there doing dispensing, unsupervised,” he says.
“You can train someone up to do simple readers or whatever fairly quickly, but when prescriptions become more complex, stronger, heavier, more prism elements and so on, they’re lost, and they will accidentally make mistakes because they’re untrained.”
That could mean spectacles that customers can’t wear, more lab work and costs, and reputational damage for the optometrist.
Despite that risk, Petrusma says many employers are still reluctant to support their staff through formal training, leaving employees to take control of their own development, which has long term detrimental effects.
“Training is inconsistent, with many dispensers expected to upskill in their own time without recognition,” she says..
“Many dispensers complete their Certificate IV or engage in CPD learning only to find that employers do not offer any financial recognition or pathway progression in return.”
That lack of “financial recognition” is reflected in both ODA’s own surveys and the most recent income figures from the ATO.
ATO’s stats for 2022-23 showed that while ophthalmologists were again the highest paid medical professionals in the country, optical dispensers were some way further back in the ophthalmic sector, with an average income of $45,490.
Despite a rise of close to 7% on the previous year, Petrusma says the average dispenser’s wage sits only marginally above the national minimum wage.
That had contributed to the loss of many experienced dispensers, with some moving on to practice management and ownership but many simply leaving for other industries with more pay and greater career progression.
Many came into dispensing from other retail businesses, bringing great people skills and attention to detail, and Gibbins believes many have headed back there for better prospects.
So what needs to be done to raise the value of dispensing and with it the incomes and career pathways to keep talented people in the industry?
ODA believes one core issue is that the profession is misclassified as a retail rather than health role.
“Pay often does not match the skill and responsibilities of the role, especially in practices where dispensers are paid under the General Retail Award rather than an appropriate health-related classification,” says Petrusma.
“All of this is compounded by award ambiguity – ODA’s own investigations with the Fair Work Ombudsman found that classification should depend on duties, yet the official guidance remains unclear.”
Gibbins agrees.
Many of his students already have some retail experience but need greater optical and technical knowledge not always available in “on-the-job training” in busy practices.
“We need every new employee to be told you’re on a pathway under supervision, you’re going to do the Certificate IV in three or four months,” he says.
“Every other industry with traineeships, you go into your formal training within months. In optical, some employees like to wait two, three, four years.”
Both believe that training should also be rewarded.
That would help bring more people into the role, and keep them there longer.
“Optometry has a clear, well-established educational pathway, while dispensing remains far less visible as a professional career option,” says Petrusma. “Many potential candidates simply don’t know that dispensing exists.”
She believes meaningful improvement begins with recognising the true value of the role.
“Employers must provide competitive, transparent pay; invest in formal training; and create visible, structured career pathways,” she says.
“Workplace culture also needs attention – staff stay where they feel respected, supported and trusted.”
Gibbins says parts of the optical sector have been resistant to change, but he believes younger staff, managers and owners may have an influence on that.
For those who do, there are plenty of rewards and opportunities.
“Practice owners who actively track metrics like AOV (average order value), remake rates and patient return rates usually recognise how profoundly a skilled dispenser contributes to both patient outcomes and business success,” says Petrusma.
“But the buck doesn’t stop with a sales report – activities such as rapport building, troubleshooting, or even ensuring a problem-free handover rarely show up on a spreadsheet, yet they have enormous downstream impact.”
Gibbins says the optometrist and their clinical work is key to the business, “but the business gets generated by the spend”.
“Optometrists’ lifestyles are built on the dispensing sales, not their consultations.”
And if they are trained, treated well and stay in the sector, many of those great dispensers can become excellent practice managers, partners and owners.
